Video: Man spends Dh1.8 million to build dog mansion

He had to drop out of school at 15.

Beijing native Zhou Tianxiao built a $500,000 mansion for his dog. But that's not the fascinating part. The story of this unemployed young man putting together money for the mansion is. 
Zhou didn't have a pleasant childhood as his parents divorced and left him when he was young. He was raised by his grandmother on a small pension and had to drop out of school at 15.
The unemployed teenager spent most of his time at internet cafes playing games. It was when he bought a puppy that his life changed, for good. 

"It was love at first sight," he recalled in an interview with Washington Post and named him Sylar after a character from his favorite American television show 'Heroes'.
He started watching YouTube videos of dog trainers and started posting videos of Sylar high-fiving, jumping on tables and more on Chinese video site, Meipai. He spent 10 hours a day studying how to train Sylar and posted the videos online. 
Thanks to the videos, Sylar soon became an online celebrity garnering 800,000 followers. 
Three years ago, Zhou got a female collie to give Sylar company and because of the restrictive regulations, moved out of the city to the countryside. 
Cashing in on the popularity, he opened an online store that sells dog food and pet products. Over the last three years, he has earned 2.5 million yuan (US$364,884) from online sales.
He decided to build a mansion for Sylar in 2017, which soon turned into a business idea. He put in the money from his pet business to build a mansion worth US$500,000 (approximately Dh1,836,485).
Rich Chinese pet owners who love to indulge their dogs into luxury visit and pay to use the facility now, including pool and spa.